martin



M. MARTIN.

REAR END SIGNAL FOR VEHICLES. 1 APPLICATION nusn MAR. 15, 1913. nzmzwzp FEB. 27. 1914.

1 1 93A5 V Patented Aug. 1, 1916.

3 SHEETS-SHEET l- WITNESSES M v INVENTOR Mu/farc/ Marf/fl M. MARTIN.

REAR END SIGNAL FOR VEHICLES.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 15. 1913. RENEWED FEB. 21, 1914.

Patented Aug. 1, 1916.

3 SHEETS- SHEET 2.

ATMIMIEYS M. MARTIN.

REAR END SIGNAL FOR VEHICLES. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 15. 1913. RENEWED FEB. 21, 1914.

1,1 93AM. Patented Aug. 1, 1916..

3 SHEETS-SHEETS.

WITNESSES INVENTOR Mad/bra Mari/(7 ATTORNEYS STATES PATENT ormon.

MULFORD MARTIN, OI BYE, NEW YORK.

REAB-END SIGNAL FOB VEHIGLES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Au 1, 1916.

Application tiled March 15, 1913, Serial 110. 754,503. Renewed February 27, .1914. Serial No. 821,525.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MULFoRn MARTIN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Rye, in the county of Westchester and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Rear-End Signal for Vehicles, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

Among the principal ob ects which the present invention has in view are: to prov de a signal of the character mentioned havmg means for automatically retiring the same after consummation of the purpose indicated; to provide a signal of the character mentioned, simplified to require no special instructions for reading the same; to provide a signal with index devices arranged to compel attention; to provide an apparatus of the character named with an operating mechanism and housing, minimized as to the space occupied thereby; and to provide a simplified and durable mechanism for operating the apparatus.

One embodiment of the present invention is shown in the accompanying drawings, in whicha Figure 1 is a side view of a rear portion of an automobile, having mounted thereon a rear end signal constructed and arranged in accordance with the present invention; Fig. 2 is a vertical face view of the signal apparatus, showing one of the indicators in operative position; Fig. 3 is a detail view, on an enlarged scale, showing the housing for the index cards and operating mechanism connected therewith, the front panel being removed; Fig. 4 is a horizontal section taken on the line 44 in Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is a detail view in perspective, showing one of the operative connections between transmission shafts. of the operating mechanism; Fig. 6 is a vertical section taken on the line 66 in Fig. 7 Fig. 7 is a detail view on an enlarged scale and in horizontal section, the section being taken on the line 77 in Fig. 6; Fig. 8 is a similar view, showing the position assumed by the parts of the mechanism when retiring one of the index panels; Fig. 9 is a detail view in plan, showing the setting handle and detent box therefor; Fig.

10 is a vertical cross section taken on the line chassis, having mounted thereon a signal and operating means therefor, constructed and arranged in accordance with the present Invention.

As seen in the drawings, I employ two signal targets or panels 17 and 18, each of which is provided with side extensions 19 to remain in the grooves 20 and 21 with which side stiles 22 of the signal housing is provided (see Figs. 3 and v4 of the draw- The signal housing is a narrow box, havmg a back 23 whereupon are bolted bolting flanges 24 and 25d bearing bosses 26, 27, 28 and 29. A face plate 30 of the housing is removably mounted by means of screws 31 on the side stiles 22. The stiles 22 are connected by a top 32. The lower edge of the housing is open to provide an unobstructed passageway for the panels 17 and 18.

The panels 17 and 18 are supported within the housing by levers 33 and 34. Connecting each of the anels with its reciprocating levers are llnks 35 and 36. The employment of the links 35 and 36 provides for the necessary flexibility of the connection between the panels and the levers 33 and 34, to permit said levers to lift the panels within the housing and behind the face plate 30, as seen best in Fig. 3 of the drawings.

The levers 33 and 34 are arranged in pairs, one of each pair of said levers being rigidly mounted upon one of the short shafts 37 which are suitably mounted in the bearing bosses 28 and 29, said shaft being provided at the end thereof within the housing with an arm 38, with which the rods 39 are pivotally connected. The levers 33 and 34 forming the opposite lever of each pair, are respectively rigidly connected with shafts 40 and 41, the bearings-for which shafts are formed in the bosses 26 and 27. At the inner ends of said shafts 40 and 41 are mounted gear wheels 42 and 43, respectively. The teeth of each gear wheel are meshed with the teeth of short racks 44 and 45, re-

spectively. The racks 44 and 45 are each pivotally connected with one of the rods 39, and bear against the top 32 of the housing, to slide thereon. This mechanism is employed to synchronize the movement of the levers 33, 33 and 34, 34. The shafts 40 and 41 are rocked in harmony with the reciprocations of rods 46 and 47 respectively, which rods are operativcly connected by meansof levers 48 and 49, with a tubular shaft 50 and a solid shaft 51 circumfolded by or mounted within said tubular shaft 50. The shafts 50 and 51 are selectively rotated by means of a lever 52, which is loosely mounted on the shaft 51 above a detent box The box 53 is provided as a housing for levers 54 and 55, which levers are respectively rigidly mounted within said box upon the shafts 50 and 51. The ends of the levers 54 and 55 extend beyond the edge of the box 53 and through a slot 56 therein. A further office of the box 53 is to provide detent sockets 57 to hold the' levers 54 and 55 in their normal out-of-service position and inservice position. To register with the sockets 57, the levers 5-1 and 55 are each provided with a bolt ball 58, which is normally forced against the adjacent side of the box 53 by a spring 59, which is mounted in a socket cup (30, with which each of said levers is provided (see Fig. 10 of the drawings). Between the extended ends of the levers 54 and is projected a pin 1 rigidly mounted upon the lever 52. Said pin is arranged to engage each of the levers 5-1 and 55, to remove the same from the central or out-ofservice position to the lateral or in-service position thereof. For convenience in the manual manipulation of the lever 52, it is provided with a knob handle 62.

At the lower end of the shaft 50 said shaft is rigidly connected with the hub 63 of the lever 48. The hub (53 and shaft 50 connected therewith rest upon the hub 64 of the lever 49. The shafts 50 and 51 are guided in bearings formed in thimbles 5 and (36 mounted on the upper and lower walls of a box 67 (see Fig. 6 of the drawings). The

. box 67' is suitably mounted on the frame of the vehicle (see Fig. l), and provides perforations at either end for the guidance of a slide bar 68, which bar is operatively connected by means of a rod 69, with the swinging arm 70 of a conventional steering mechanism employing a drag link 71 and a worm gear 72.

The rods 46 and 47 are connected to crank arms extending vertically from a tubular shaft 73 and a solid shaft 74, respectively (see Figs. 1 and 12 of the drawings). The shafts 73 and 74 are each provided with a horizontally-extending arm 76, which arms 76 are connected by means of links 77 to lever arms 78 rigidly attached and extended from each of the shafts 40 and il, as best seen in Fig. 5 of the drawings.

By means of the above connection, it will be observed that, whenever the chaufieur or driver desires to set the signal indicating his intention to turn to the right or left, as the case may be, he moves the lever 52 correspondingly. The pin 61 presses the lever 54 or the lever 55, as the case may be, laterally until the same is arrested by the bolt ball 58 striking into the socket 57. As

shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings, the signal has been set by dropping the panel 18 to indicate the intention to turn to the left, the emblem on the panel being an arrow pointer as shown. To accomplish this, the lever 52 is moved to the left, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 9 of the drawings. The pin (31 has engaged and moved the lever 54 to the lat- ,7 eral position for said lever, as also shown by the dotted lines in Fig. 9 of the drawings. The lever 54 being rigidly connected to the shaft 50 and said shaft 50 being connected to the lever 48, the rod 46 is moved by said lever 48, thereby rocking the shaft 73 and the arm 7 (5 connected therewith, to correspondingly rotate the shaft 40 and the gear wheel 42 connected therewith. The rocking of the shaft 40 and the rotation of the gear wheel 42 result in the depression of the levers 33, 33 and the panels 18 connected therewith.

The emblem 79 on the panel 18 shows the direction in which it is intended to turn the vehicle. This signal may be set at any time without regard to the operation of the vehicle. Thus, the intention to make a turn to the right or left may be indicated some time before the station is reached where it is intended to turn; When, however, the vehicle arrives at the station and makes the turn,the slide bar 68 is moved by the arm 70 forward or back. In the illustration given, as seen in Fig. 8 of the drawings, the 100 arm 70 would be moved to the rear, the machine being steered thereby to travel to the left. This movement of the bar 68 places the dog 80 at the rear of the lever 48 and of the arm 81 connected therewith. As herein- 105 after described, a result of this arrangement is that said dog engages said arm, to draw the lever and parts connected therewith back to the normal position, as shown in Fig. 7 of the drawings. 119

Referring to Figs. 6 to 8 inclusive, itwill be seen that the bar 68 is suitably equipped with dogs 80 and 82, the dog 80 being disposed in the path of the arm 81, and the dog 82 in the path of an arm 83, which is in rigidly connected with the lever 49. Each of the arms 80 and 83 is provided with a nick 84, at the ends of said arms. Each of the dogs 80 and 82 is provided with a tongue 85, adapted, under operative conditions, to en- 32a gage the nicks 8 As seen in Fig. 6, the dogs are superposed and spaced apart each from the other. As also seen in said figure, the dog 82 is disposed in the path of a yielding plunger 86, while the dog 80 is disposed 1 in the path of a plunger 87. The plungers 86 and 87 are each provided with a stem 88 and a spring 89 the operation of which is to normally force outward the plunger connected therewith. The plungers 86 and 87 130 and springs 89 are housed in socket posts 90, which are disposed, as shown in the drawings, at the operative stations for said dogs 80 and 82, to engage the arms 81 and 83, when either is moved to in-service position or position where one of the panels 17 or 18 is exposed.

It will be seen that when, by the operation of the lever 52, one of the panels 17 or 18 has been set to indicate the turning intention to the driver of a vehicle, one of the arms 48 or 49 is thrown to a position juxtaposed to one of the plungcrs 86 or 87. Thus, when the lever 48 is moved, as shown in Fig. 8 of the drawings, to lower the panel 18,

said lever is brought to rest in the position where the arm 81 is in position to be engaged by the dog 80. When now the steering mechanism is operated to turn the vehicle, in accordance with the intention indi cated by the exposed panel, the bar 68 is moved, the flat or back of the dog 80 or 82 passing over the end of the arm 81 or 83, the spring 89 connected with the plunger 86 or 87 permitting the same to retract within the socket post 90. Having passed the post 90 and plunger 86 or 87, the bar 68' and steering mechanism connected therewith may be moved to the limit without plunger 86 or 87, the spring 89 surroundingthe stem connected with the said plunger forces said dog outward. In this position, it will be found, the tongue 85 of the dog 80 is in the path of the nick 84 of the arm 81 and engages said nick and arm to move the lever 48 or 49 to the position indicated in Fig. 7 of the drawings.

The object in providing the pin 91 on the tail piece 92 is to prevent the nicks-84 from carrying the dogs 80 or 82 beyond the proper throw of said dogs, making it thereby more difficult to free the engagement of the dogs with the arms 81 and 83 and the nicks 84 thereon.

' While I have herein-described the bar 68 as being operatively connected with a drag connect the same to a drag link connected with the steering gear-at the forward side of the axle. In such event, it will be under V stood, a re-arran'gement of' the parts of the present invention would ensue. It will also be understood that I may use the present invention in connection with other steering steering the vehicle around a corner, this may be done by moving either the lever 54 or 55 back to its normal position, by hand.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. In a signal as characterized; a plurality of panels, each having direction-indicating symbols; a plurality of suspension mechanisms for said panels to elevate and lower the same; a containing box for said panels, having a face member to normally conceal said panels; means operable adjacent the drivers seat for lowering said panels to expose the same below said box; and

means operatively connected with the steer mg mechanism of the vehicle equipped with said signal for raising said panels within said box.

2. In a signal as characterized; a plurality of direction-indicating members; an open-bottomed box for normally containing said members; a plurality of shafts rotatively mounted in said box; a plurality of lever arms arranged in pairs, to be operated by said shafts; a connectingmechanism for each pair of said shafts, to operate the same in relatively opposite directions; a manually-operable mechanism for rotating said shafts, said mechanism being disposed adjacent the drivers seat; and means for reversely rotating said shafts, said means being operable by the steering mechanism of the vehicle equipped with said signal.

4 Intestimony whereof I have signed myname to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

MULFORD MARTIN.

I Witnesses; v E. F. MURDocK; PHILIP D. RoLLHAUs. 

